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Japan’s Beloved Panda Couple Return Home after Heartfelt Farewell

19-year-old giant panda Shin Shin is seen on the last public viewing day for the pandas Shin Shin and Ri Ri (not pictured) before they return to China to be treated for high blood pressure, at the Ueno Zoological Garden in Tokyo, Japan September 28, 2024. (Reuters)
19-year-old giant panda Shin Shin is seen on the last public viewing day for the pandas Shin Shin and Ri Ri (not pictured) before they return to China to be treated for high blood pressure, at the Ueno Zoological Garden in Tokyo, Japan September 28, 2024. (Reuters)
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Japan’s Beloved Panda Couple Return Home after Heartfelt Farewell

19-year-old giant panda Shin Shin is seen on the last public viewing day for the pandas Shin Shin and Ri Ri (not pictured) before they return to China to be treated for high blood pressure, at the Ueno Zoological Garden in Tokyo, Japan September 28, 2024. (Reuters)
19-year-old giant panda Shin Shin is seen on the last public viewing day for the pandas Shin Shin and Ri Ri (not pictured) before they return to China to be treated for high blood pressure, at the Ueno Zoological Garden in Tokyo, Japan September 28, 2024. (Reuters)

Japan's beloved elderly giant pandas Shin Shin and Ri Ri were safely returned to China on Sunday, Tokyo's Ueno Zoological Garden reported on its website.

The two pandas arrived at the Ueno zoo in 2011, bringing a little lightness to the country just months after a devastating earthquake and tsunami hit Japan on March 11 of that year, and continued to draw fans of all ages over the years.

When it was announced a month ago that the elderly pandas would soon be returned to China to be treated for high blood pressure, visitors flocked to see the pair before they left.

Hiyori Sakurai, an artist in her 30s, said she has been visiting the zoo every Sunday and even some weekdays when she could take time off from work.

"Whenever I go through a hard time, I would go see Ri Ri and Shin Shin, and they always cheered me up," she said.

Etsuko Tokuda, a self-employed woman in her 60s, has been going to the zoo almost everyday since the return announcement.

"Each day was important to me. I wanted to see them even if they were sleeping."

Native to China, pandas have through the years become "envoys of friendship" and China's offer of pandas to other countries has been dubbed panda diplomacy.

Saturday was the last chance to see Shin Shin and Ri Ri at the Ueno zoo, but their twins, born in June 2021, will remain.

While sad to see the panda couple go, retiree Harumi Iteguchi took some comfort.

"Knowing that Ri Ri and Shin Shin will go back together as a couple to their home country cheered me up a bit."

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49 Saplings from Famous UK Tree that Was Illegally Chopped Down will be Shared to Mark Anniversary

FILE - A general view of the stars above Sycamore Gap prior to the Perseid Meteor Shower above Hadrian’s Wall near Bardon Mill, England, Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2015. (AP Photo/Scott Heppell, File)
FILE - A general view of the stars above Sycamore Gap prior to the Perseid Meteor Shower above Hadrian’s Wall near Bardon Mill, England, Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2015. (AP Photo/Scott Heppell, File)
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49 Saplings from Famous UK Tree that Was Illegally Chopped Down will be Shared to Mark Anniversary

FILE - A general view of the stars above Sycamore Gap prior to the Perseid Meteor Shower above Hadrian’s Wall near Bardon Mill, England, Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2015. (AP Photo/Scott Heppell, File)
FILE - A general view of the stars above Sycamore Gap prior to the Perseid Meteor Shower above Hadrian’s Wall near Bardon Mill, England, Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2015. (AP Photo/Scott Heppell, File)

It's been a year since a sycamore tree that stood high and proud near the Roman landmark of Hadrian’s Wall in the north of England was inexplicably chopped down, triggering a wave of shock and disbelief across the UK, even among those who had never seen it up close.

Known and loved by millions, the 150-year-old tree was made famous around the world when it featured in Kevin Costner’s 1991 film “Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves.” The Sycamore Gap tree, as it was known because of its regal canopy framed between two hills, was a popular subject for landscape photographers and a great resting spot for walkers.

Now it is going to get a new lease of life — dozens of them, The AP reported.

The National Trust, a conservation charity that seeks to protect and open up historic places and green spaces to the general public, launched an initiative on Friday in which 49 saplings from the tree will be given to communities around the UK. Other saplings will be sent to the UK's 15 national parks and the local primary school.

The initiative, which also involves the local Northumberland National Park Authority and Historic England, the public organization that looks after England’s historic environment, is called “Trees of Hope” and aims to “create a new chapter in the life of this legendary tree.”

Each of the 49 saplings — one to represent each foot of the tree's height when it was felled — is expected to be 6 feet (1.8 meters) tall on delivery.

People from around the UK are invited to apply for a tree to plant in publicly accessible spaces which have emotional connections with people and communities. Entries must be made by Oct. 25, with winners announced on Nov. 18.

“The last 12 months have been a real rollercoaster of emotions, from the hopelessness and grief we felt when we discovered that the tree had been illegally felled, to experiencing the stories shared with us about just what the tree meant to so many," said Andrew Poad, general manager for the National Trust’s Hadrian’s Wall properties.

Also on Friday, the Northumberland National Park Authority is marking the anniversary of the felling with the opening of the first phase of an exhibition, “Sycamore Gap: One Year On,” including the largest remaining section of the tree.

Two men — Daniel Graham and Adam Carruthers — have been charged with two counts over the felling of the tree. One count is for allegedly cutting down the tree and the second is for damage to the adjacent wall built by Emperor Hadrian in A.D. 122 to protect the northwest frontier of the Roman Empire. Prosecutors have calculated that the cost of the felling was around 620,000 pounds ($825,000).

Both have been released on bail ahead of their trial scheduled for early December.